Building construction panel



Aug. '17, 1943. F, HERR 2,327,265

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PANEL Filed Jan. 7. 1941 M"? "3)? y a; a

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ATTORN EY INVENTOR methods so as to form a panel unit.

. in the hollow spaces Patented Aug. 17, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE o 2,327,265 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PANEL Richard F. Herr, Warren, Ohio Application January ,7, 1941, Serial No. 373,442 6 Claims. (01. 189-34) This, invention relates to building construction panels of a hollow insulating metallic type particularly adapted for use-in the formation of sheet metal walls, floors, doors and similarstructures.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a light weight structure of considerable strength and relatively high insulating value particularly as to direct conductivity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of pleasing appearance which is capable of formation by simplified production methods which results in economies in production costs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal wall construction adapted to retain a loosely formed insulating filler in a manner that will prevent the filler from becoming packed in any localized area of the particular construction.

In the formation of sheet metal doors, partitions, walls, floors, and roof panels it has been common practice to provide a pair of parallel sheet metal surface pieces of desired size and .shape, and various shaped metallic members positioned between these surface pieces at various intervals and welded thereto through various The present invention relates to an improved form of such structures.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which'will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the,combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed; it

being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

, The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a building construction panel formed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a view partially in section and partially schematic illustrating a method of welding a portion of the panel.

Figure 3 is a view partly in section and partly schematic showing the method of welding the assembled parts of the panel. v

Figure 4 is a cross sectional elevation of a panel showing the use of insulating material positioned therein. a

By referring to the drawing and Figure 1 in particular itwill be seen that a skin stressed building construction panel formed of a few simple elements has been disclosed which panel is positioned therebetween in a manner so that the sheet metal members l2 cross the sheet metal members l3 at approximately right angles to one another, thus forming a strong and rigid sup-- porting structure for the surface pieces i 0 and II which are shown in Figure 1 as being of rectangular shape. The structure resulting comprises a panel of more or less conventional size which would be four feet wide, eight feet long, and four inches thick. In forming the panel illustrated in Figure 1 it is necessary to affix the sheet'metal members l2 and I3, respectively, to the respective surface pieces I 0 and H prior to assembling the surface pieces and the sheet metal members in opposite relation to one another to form the structure disclosed. In order to do this each of the surface pieces ID and II has affixed to one side'thereof the longitudinal or transverselfpositioned sheet metal members l2 or 13 which are located and positioned by means of mandrels or other suitable structures and so held during a subsequent welding operation-which securely afiixes the sheet metal members I2 and I3 to the surface pieces In and II.

By referring to Figure 2 of the drawing the method of assembling the transverse or longitu dinal sheet metal members to the surface pieces is illustrated wherein the parts are secured together through the use'of a plurality of electrodes l4 and I5 positioned above and below the assembled parts and connected by suitable leads I6 and H to the secondary l8 of a welding transformer 9. The primary circuit 20 of the transformer I9 may obviously be controlled by devices known to the art which will provide the equipindicated by the surface pieces l and 1 such time as the panel along the edge so as to distort the metal and cause a projection to be formed on the edge thereof. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that in order that the individual sheet metal members l2 or l3 may not become bowed it will be necessary to distort the metal at intervals along the opposite edge of each member as numeral 22 so as to provide for a uniform expansion due to the distortion of the edgesof the member. In forming a panel according to this invention the sheet metal members l2 or i3 are welded through the projections 2| heretofore described to the surface pieces l0 and i l with the result that prior to assembly the panel comprises two surface pieces; one provided with a plurality of longitudinally positioned sheet metal members and the other provided with a plurality of transversely positioned sheet metal members. 'I'hese two portions of the completed structure are subsequently brought together in rassembled relation as shown in Figures 1 and 3 wherein the transversely positioned sheet metal members I3 cross the longitudinally positioned sheet metal members l2 at right anglesto one .another.-'.By referring nowto Figure 3 of the drawing it will be observed that these two portions of the completed structure are secured together by the use of a plurality-of electrodes 23 and 24 positioned above and below the assembled parts and connected by suitable leads Hand 26 to the secondary 21 of a welding transformer 28. The primary circuit 29 of the transformer 28 may obviouslybe controlled by devices known to the art which will provide the equipment with rapid, controllable, effective welding impulses of large current and short duration. Thus it is possible to effect a plurality of welds at one and the same time. In this assembled position suitable welding currents are directed by suitable means through the assembled panel so that welding occurs at the junction of each of the crossing sheet metal members l2 and I3 thus firmly uniting the opposite surface pieces l0 and H to one another through the said sheet metal members l2 and Hi.

It will be observed that the resulting panel possesses unusual rigidity and strength, at the same time being light in weight, and further that the construction results in a. minimum number of direct metal to metal contacts between the l i, respectively, and that such metal to metal contacts are of such limited 'area that there is little if anyheat conduction possible through the panel.

By referring to Figure 4 of the drawing it will be seen that the spacing of these members provides uniform hollow sections throughout the structure in either or both of which suitable insulatin'g material such as rock wool may be readily positioned and retained as, for'example, at is used as a vertically positioned wall panel an insulation filler 30 is preferably positioned so as to rest upon the transversely positioned metallic members I3 which will prevent the insulation from shifting to the bottom of the panel and becoming packed therein which would obviously interfere with the insulating qualities of the complete panel.

Modifications in assembling the panel are ob-' viously possible. For example, the sheet metal members i2 and i3 may be assembled in crossed relation to one another between the surface pieces in and ii and retained in-that position by suitable mandrels or other structures while electrodes are brought to bear against the surface pieces l0 and II andweiding currents passed t ugh the sembly so that surface piecesii! and Ii in a single assemblingv operation. A further modification could obviously comprise the members l2 and I3 in crossed relation to each other and welding them in that position at their points of contact and subsequently positioning the assembly of welded sheet metal members l2 l0 and Ii and welding the same thereto as hereinbefore described.

Modifications in the structural details of the ting the building construction panel with interposed sheet metal members of undulating form which panel could be more easily formed as the sheet metal members in undulating form would not require the use of mandrels positioned between the same during the assembling and welding operations. Sheet metal members of undulating form would insure theirproper positioning during the assembling operation as theywould be self-supporting,

What I claim is:

1. As an article of manufacture a metallic panel comprising exterior sheets of metal form' ing faces of the panel spaced apart and secured together through a dual assembly of spacing strips, each of said assemblies comprising a plurality of vertically disposed spacing strips affixed to one of the exterior sheets of metal and positioned on a different plane and at an angle to the axis of the spacing strips of the other asthe spacing strips affixed to. one exterior sheet cross the spacing strips aifixed to the other exterior sheet, the said spacing strips afllxed to each other at the points where the said strips touch so that metallic contact between the assemblies of spacing strips exists only at the points between the edges of the strips.

"2. As an article of manufacture a metallic panel comprising exterior sheets of metal forming faces of together through strips, each of said assemblies comprising a plurality of vertically disposed spacing strips positioned at right'angles to the axis of and out of plane with respect to the said spacing strips of the other assembly so that the spacing strips a1,- flxed to one exterior sheet cross the spacing strips aflixedto the other exterior sheet, the spacing strips of each assembly being secured at one of their edges to an exterior sheet and secured to each other at the points where the said strips touch one another so that metallic contact between the assemblies of spacing strips exists only at the points between the edges of the strips.

'3. As an article of manufacture a metallic one another at their points assembling of the sheet metal the panel spaced apart and secured a dual assembly of spacing through an assembly of vertically disof metal andpositioned at an angle to the axis of and out of plane with respect to the spacing strips of the other assemblyso that the spacing strips affixed to one exterior sheet cross the spacing strips afilxed to the other exterior sheet, the said spacing strips secured together at the points where they touch one another so that metallic contact between the assemblies of spacing strips exists only at the points between the edges of the strips.

4. As an article of manufacture a metallic panel comprising an assembly of two parts each of which comprises a sub-assembly of a surface sheet and a plurality of similarly aligned, vertically positioned spacing strips secured at their edges thereto, the spacing strips "of one sub-assembly being positioned at an angle to the axis of and out 01 plane with respect to the spacing strips of the other sub-assembly so that the spacing strips of one sub-assembly cross the spacing strips of the other sub-assembly, the said spacing strips being secured to each other at the points where the said strips cross one another so that metallic contact between the spacing 'tions so as to form a floor strips of the sub-assemblies exists only at the points between the edges of the strips.

5. A metallic floor structure comprising two series of vertically disposed strip sections, the sections of one series being disposed above and at an angle to the sections of the other series and afllxed to each other at the points where the said sections cross, surface sheets ailixed to the upper and lower surfaces of said assembled secstructure having metallic contact between the strip sections thereof only at the points between the edges of the strips.

6. A metallic wall structure comprising two series of vertically disposed strip sections, the sections'of one series being disposed beside, out of plane with and at an angle to the sections of the other series and aillxed to each other at the points where the said sections cross, surface sheetsafixed to the exterior surfaces of the said assembled sections so as to form a wall structure having metallic contact between the strip sections thereof only at the points between the edges of the strips.

- RICHARD F. HERR. 

